On 11/24/2018 2:44 PM, Andy wrote:
I just moved into a house we recently purchased. In the remodeled
basement is
the laundry area. The original washing machine drain, which is in concrete
block wall, has been eliminated and another drainage system installed on
the
outside of wall with its own vent. It isnt tied into the septic. The
original one is. A couple of says after moving in, we started getting the
smell of septic gas. I narrowed it down to the laundry area. I located the
original drain line and thought it was probably covered over and not
sealed. I
was right. They had cover the whole area around the top of the pipe with
insulating foam. I removed the foam and there was no seal on the pipe. I
used
an expansion plug and sealed it. It seemed to stop the odor in that
area. Next
day, I had been away from the house for a while and when I walked in I
could
smell the odor in the house. Im thinking there is a problem below the top
of the pipe which caused the previous owners to stop using it. They said
they
had the system smoke tested and didnt find a problem. Now, my question.
Would it harm anything to force a ball Id foul down the pipe to about
floor
level and fill the pipe with concrete?Â* I think the crack or break in
the pipe
is allowing gases to deep into the walls way below where I could cap it.

This should have been disclosed by the previous owners; you may have
recourse.

Nowhere that has Code will allow that drain to not be terminated in a
sewer system -- was there not inspection/occupancy requirement?

More than likely what the problem is is that drain is connected to the
drain field and with disuse the water in the trap has evaporated so
that's the escape path. This is easy-enough to check; simply run some
water down the drain and see if that makes the symptoms go away.

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